Chapter 67 The Attack "An attack! We've been attacked!"...
“Wake up, listen to me. Those bad guys have been caught by Li Yin and handed over to the police. You don’t need to look anymore. Come back now.”
"Chen Zui, the person has been arrested. Come back."
Having confirmed that Li Yin had captured the Zhao family members who were plotting something, Ling Shu, feeling a bit overwhelmed, called the two main characters who had made the bet.
In a room, Guan Mengxing slowly put down the phone, let out a reluctant sigh, and her shoulders slumped.
Unexpectedly, the bad guy was intercepted halfway; it seems she can't win against Chen Zui. She turned and walked out, stopping at the doorway, her gaze coldly fixed on Chen Zui, who had appeared out of nowhere.
Guan Mengxing was displeased to see him, and her expression immediately turned ugly: "This doesn't count. We can gamble again when we have the chance."
His face, which was completely hidden by a mask, made it impossible to see his expression; only his cool and aloof eyes were visible: "I'm always ready."
"snort."
Guan Mengxing turned to leave, but as soon as she lifted her foot, she slammed it back down.
No, there's something very important.
She turned her head, her sharp gaze fixed on Shen Zui, "I'm warning you, Sister Shu is kind-hearted and sees everyone as a good person, but I'm not so easily fooled! If you dare to have any ulterior motives towards Sister Shu, or dare to do anything bad to her..."
Guan Mengxing clenched her fist and gestured in the air, "You'd better be considerate and disappear from my sister Shu's sight immediately!"
She is Ling Shu's half-sister, and has a duty to properly vet Ling Shu. Especially someone like Chen Zui, whose thoughts are as deep as an ancient well, whose words are sharp, and who is not lovable at all.
Guan Mengxing doesn't like people like that.
Chen Zui looked up at her, his eyes filled with coldness: "My affairs with Sister Ling are none of your business, you outsider."
Ling Shu was calm and compassionate; how could she have such a loud and boisterous sister?
They are worlds apart.
Guan Mengxing instantly bristled, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her voice rising eight octaves: "Outsider? You actually call me an outsider?! When Sister Shu and I became sworn siblings, you were probably still playing in the mud somewhere!"
Looking at the aggressive woman before him, Chen Zui's disapproval reached its peak. He slightly raised his chin, making no attempt to hide the doubt in his eyes: "So what if we're sworn sisters? How can someone with your loud and boisterous personality be worthy of being Sister Ling's sister?"
Guan Mengxing was so angry at his words that she jumped up and down. Her fingers trembled for a long time before she finally managed to utter, "We can't agree on anything. We'll see!"
How dare you question her and Sister Shu's great friendship? You're so naive, just you wait!
She remembered this grudge!
Guan Mengxing turned around and stormed out, not giving him another second glance.
Chen Zui watched her leave with a blank expression, his clenched fists only relaxing after a long while.
He scoffed softly, "Nonsense."
He really is a madman.
After making his final decision, Chenzui slowly lifted his foot and walked towards the main entrance.
-
Ling Shu stood at the main entrance.
"Dog, I'm still a little worried. I feel like there's something off about how Guan Mengxing and Shen Zui are getting along."
Sheng Yun Shen said helplessly, "Ling Shu, we should have some faith in them."
Ling Shu raised her hand to touch her chin: "I have a feeling that there's been a strange twist in the plot..."
Although she sensed something was wrong, she never imagined that this so-called "variable" was actually herself. Just moments ago, Guan Mengxing and Shen Zui had a huge argument about "who deserves to stay by Ling Shu's side" and parted on bad terms.
If Ling Shu knew, she would definitely be speechless.
She was struggling with her thoughts when she saw Guan Mengxing and Shen Zui walking towards her one after the other, and her eyes lit up.
Does the fact that the two of them appeared at the same time mean that their relationship has improved?
Just as a glimmer of hope appeared in Ling Shu's heart, Guan Mengxing stopped in her tracks, glanced coldly at Chen Zui not far behind her, and snorted, "Don't follow me!"
He crossed his arms, not wanting to argue with this irritable woman any longer.
Of course, I didn't want to spend even a second longer with her.
He looked at Ling Shu and said, "Sister Ling, I'm leaving now."
Without waiting for Ling Shu's reply, Chen Zui left on his own.
Guan Mengxing coldly watched his departing figure and rolled her eyes.
Ling Shu, who watched the whole thing without getting a chance to say a word, was speechless.
Oh no, this is bad.
Guan Mengxing angrily said, "Sister Shu, I've lived all these years and I've never met such an annoying man!"
She clenched her fists and concluded very solemnly, "I think he's my nemesis!"
Ling Shu: "Huh?"
No, where does this come from?
“I originally had a chance to catch those two bad guys, but he showed up and ruined my plans, and in the end, President Li beat me to it.”
Guan Mengxing thought about it more and more and felt that what she said made sense. "I don't like his mean manner. But don't worry, Sister Shu, I know he's your man. I'll just avoid him from now on and won't cause any trouble with him."
She wouldn't argue with Chen Zui in front of Ling Shu anymore, so as not to put Ling Shu in a difficult position.
However, this feud has already been formed!
Ling Shu became increasingly confused as she listened: "Ah... um... that..."
She racked her brains, trying to persuade him, "Don't you think... he's actually quite skilled?"
Before she arrived to stop them, the two were able to fight back and forth, which is a kind of tacit understanding, isn't it?
Guan Mengxing put her hands on her hips and said, "No matter how good your skills are, it's useless if you don't have a good heart."
How dare you say she's not good enough to be Ling Shu's sister? Die, you mean-spirited bastard!
Ling Shu shut up: "..."
That's it.
"Dog, what should I do! How can I persuade him?"
Sheng Yun Shen was silent for a moment: "Well... actually, I don't know much about matters of the heart."
A powerful CEO knows how to set traps for his enemies in business negotiations, but doesn't know how to appease an angry young girl.
For the first time, Ling Shu doubted his professionalism: "I feel like I shouldn't have listened to you back then."
Sheng Yun Shen: "...I'm sorry."
He was actually quite confused too.
Ling Shu sighed and gave up trying to persuade her.
Guan Mengxing is currently in a bad mood, and insisting on persuading her might backfire.
Well, let's go back and talk about it first.
-
Ling Shu returned to the Sheng family home with a heavy heart, not even bothering to look at her phone on the way.
When Ling Shu returned home and saw an excited Sheng Zhujun, she learned that what had happened at the Zhao family's house that day had dominated half of the trending topics. Apparently, someone among the guests had secretly livestreamed the entire excavation process.
Ling Shu, who insisted on finding the earring, also became part of the trending topics.
Just discussing why the earring ended up underground, netizens have already come up with more than a dozen hypotheses, each comparable to a supernatural epic. The most outrageous hypothesis is that Ling Shu was the King of Hell from the underworld visiting someone's home for a vacation, and, seeing injustice, stepped in to help the wronged souls and uphold justice.
Ling Shu: "Wow!"
This identity is really cool, she likes it.
The truth is actually quite simple.
She invested in a really cool drone company, and a while ago she asked their R&D team to help her make a mini spider robot, which she then attached to her earring. When she tossed the earring into her small garden, the spider robot dug a hole and buried the earring in the soil.
Ling Shu was familiar with the original plot and knew the location where Mu Feng's body was buried; the robot was simply acting according to her design.
After burying the earring, the robot silently emerged from the soil and, taking advantage of the crowd behind it, quietly slipped away and destroyed itself.
It's not fantastical at all; in fact, it's very scientific.
Compared to that, the King of Hell's vacation is much cooler.
Guan Mengxing said, "I prefer the one where they guess you're an alien who can move things remotely."
Sheng Zhujun said, "It's a pity that we can't reveal the truth about the robot, otherwise there would be several more limit-up days, and your return on investment would go up again, Shushu."
Ling Shu shook her head and smiled.
She's truly numb to money now.
She was more concerned about the fate of the Zhao family.
"Today the police took away Mr. Zhao and his housekeeper. This time the chain of evidence is complete, and with the live broadcast, it has attracted nationwide attention. I think it will be difficult for Mr. Zhao to escape legal punishment."
Both the ghost marriage formation from Wan City and the custom-made button clutched tightly in Mu Feng's hand clearly pointed to Old Master Zhao. Even if Butler Zhang wanted to take the blame, it would be difficult to convince anyone.
Under the pressure of public opinion that is being hotly debated by the entire nation, even with the Zhao family's power, it would be difficult for them to do anything underhanded.
Sheng Zhujun couldn't help but exclaim, "It's really amazing, why does Mu Feng happen to have a button in his hand? And it just so happens to be a custom-made one with a serial number?"
Ling Shu curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
"It's all fate."
In the original book, the Zhao family was wiped out on the day the apocalypse arrived.
By chance, the main characters encounter Mu Ting, who has come to Beijing to find her brother. They follow Mu Ting to the Zhao family home, where they dig up Mu Feng's bones in the small garden and find the button in his hand, thus confirming Old Zhao's guilt of murder.
That button was probably the last bit of mercy the original author left for Mu Feng.
Speaking of the Zhao family, Ling Shu suddenly remembered Li Yin's warning and said to Sheng Zhujun, "Old Zhao has been taken away. The Zhao family might hold the Sheng family accountable. Everyone should be careful these days, as the Zhao family may retaliate."
With the fall of their sole pillar, General Manager Zhao, the Zhao family's collapse is imminent. This final, desperate attempt by the behemoth must be taken seriously.
Sheng Zhujun nodded calmly: "It's alright. With the current level of defense of our Sheng family, no one can do anything to us. If the Zhao family dares to come, we will definitely make them pay the price."
Ling Shu also had great confidence in the defense system she had built.
After chatting with Sheng Zhujun and Guan Mengxing for a few more minutes, as dusk fell, Ling Shu bid them farewell and returned to Xiaominglou to rest.
A lot happened today, but overall it went pretty much as she planned.
Lying in bed, Ling Shu still felt a little regretful.
"Even if Old Zhao confesses and the Zhao family goes bankrupt, it still won't be as exciting as the original story."
Sheng Yun Shen had always been curious: "What was the fate of the Zhao family in the original book?"
What exactly could have caused the Zhao family to be wiped out on the very first day of the apocalypse, yet remain so captivating that Ling Shu couldn't forget it?
Ling Shu sighed and didn't answer his question: "There's no point in talking about this now. It would be great if the Zhao family could experience the ending of the original book."
She deliberately didn't say it.
Since it's impossible, I'd rather not say anything. That way, I won't have to worry about it.
Ling Shu stopped thinking about it: "Forget it, it's already good enough that we've done this far. Let's go to sleep, Gouzi."
Sheng Yun Shen didn't press further: "Okay, good night."
Ling Shu must be very tired after going through so much today.
Sure enough, Ling Shu fell asleep very quickly.
Alone in the darkness, Sheng Yun Shen pondered everything related to the Zhao family.
Arranging a ghost marriage for an innocent stranger proves that Old Zhao is a ruthless, superstitious, and utterly shameless person. Could such a person truly possess tenderness? Would he mourn his deceased daughter for ten years without wavering?
If the real answer is that ten years ago, in order to overcome a tribulation, Old Zhao had no choice but to kill his daughter.
Then his guilt and longing can be explained.
It's nothing but hypocritical guilt.
Such thoughts were too dark, and Sheng Yun Shen pondered them alone in his heart without discussing them with Ling Shu.
As his thoughts drifted, his vision suddenly blurred, as if some scene had flashed by.
Sheng Yun Shen suddenly realized: "?!"
Wasn't the Doomsday Clock destroyed by him? Why did he seem to see that icy, snowy landscape just now?
Before he could figure it out, his vision blurred again.
This time, he saw it clearly.
He indeed returned to that icy, snowy land.
However, to be precise, the snow in this place has stopped, and the once towering Doomsday Clock has disappeared.
Now, all he could see was a boundless wasteland.
Sheng Yun Shen's consciousness looked around, wondering why he had returned.
Until he heard that familiar mechanical male voice.
"Anchor destroyer, you're lucky."
Although the voice was devoid of any emotional fluctuation, Sheng Yun Shen inexplicably detected a hint of exasperation in it.
He calmly concluded, "You need to talk to me."
Otherwise, given the arrogance and anger the mechanical male voice displayed last time, it would be impossible for him to appear in front of him again.
The mechanical male voice choked: "..."
It became even more annoyed, saying, "Being too perceptive is not a virtue that humans should have."
"I have no interest in discussing virtue with something that is trying to destroy civilization."
Sheng Yun Shen was too lazy to waste words with it and said directly, "Speak, what do you want to see me about?"
The mechanical male voice sneered: "I told you, you're lucky. I reported the anchor point being destroyed to the mainframe, and the mainframe is very interested in you. It said you are the first person it has encountered in its 142,000 years of operation who could destroy the anchor point, and has decided to give you a reward."
Sheng Yun Shen: "?"
No wonder the mechanical male voice sounded annoyed; apparently, he was here on orders to hand out awards?
He continued, "What reward?"
The mechanical male voice replied in a flat tone: "The reward is that you can regain your health and stand up again."
Faced with such an enticing reward, Sheng Yun Shen reacted calmly, simply smiling and asking, "What is the price?"
The mechanical male voice paused before replying, "The price is to send the disruptor back to its original timeline."
The troublemaker is Ling Shu.
Sending the troublemakers back to their original timeline is the same as sending Ling Shu back to her original post-apocalyptic world.
Indeed, everything comes at a price.
Sheng Yun Shen remained calm.
Why should I believe you?
-
late at night.
Ling Shu was startled awake by a series of urgent knocks on the door, opening her eyes in the darkness. Her doomed instincts were instantly aroused; she nimbly rolled out of bed and quickly went to open the door.
Standing outside the door was Butler Wang, panting heavily, his face extremely grim: "Miss Ling, we just received news that Mr. Zhao has escaped."
"Run away?"
Ling Shu raised an eyebrow in surprise, "He's actually that bold?"
Mr. Zhao has already been taken away by the police. If he tries to escape at this time, he will become a fugitive and be wanted by the police.
Seeing the butler's unpleasant expression, Ling Shu narrowed her eyes slightly: "He's coming for the Sheng family?"
Butler Wang's expression was grave: "The police haven't found his whereabouts yet. I'm just speculating based on some recent developments in Beijing. In the past week, quite a few foreigners with mercenary backgrounds have come to Beijing, and almost all of them have stayed in properties related to the Zhao family. Some of them have even been seen outside the Sheng family's residence, seemingly scouting. Tonight, none of them are at their residences."
"The last week?"
Ling Shu smiled. "It seems the Zhao family also wants to take action against the Sheng family."
However, she took the initiative and captured the leader first, eliminating the opponent's greatest asset.
Butler Wang nodded: "I suspect the Zhao family heard about the Sheng family's attempt to steal during the rainstorm and being caught. They want to use this incident to their advantage and arrange for someone to attack the Sheng family."
Ling Shu thought so too.
What a coincidence!
It seems that Old Zhao harbors deep hatred for the Sheng family, and even if it means becoming a fugitive, he's determined to eliminate them first. He probably understands that the evidence against him for the murder is irrefutable, and there's no chance of overturning the verdict, which is why he made such an extreme choice.
"How long has Old Zhao been on the run?"
Butler Wang glanced at his watch: "He escaped twenty minutes ago."
Ling Shu immediately said, "Enter alert status, raise the nanowires, and deploy the drones and robot dogs."
The wall is protected by tough nanofibers, making it virtually invincible. Anyone attempting to scale it will be attacked; Zhang Ge, who lost his hand while trying to climb it last time, is the best proof of this. Add to that the patrols by drones and robotic dogs, and the Zhao family will likely pay a heavy price to break into the Sheng family manor.
but……
Ling Shu's expression was serious: "Send more drones to patrol at low altitudes to prevent the Zhao family from breaking through from the air."
Given the Zhao family's wealth, they might be able to utilize air power, such as helicopters, to bypass the perimeter wall equipped with nanowires.
"Be careful, the mercenaries may be armed. Pass the word down that everyone in the Sheng family should take refuge in the basement, and leave ground defense to drones and robot dogs. Also, call the police and ask them to arrive as soon as possible to provide support."
The Zhao family members who staged the accident to extort money from Ling Shu and Sheng Zhujun last time had guns. This time, Old Zhao is going all in, definitely intending to completely destroy the Sheng family. Ling Shu must prepare for the worst.
The Sheng family manor is some distance from Beijing, and it's late at night now, so it will take the police some time to arrive. Before the police arrive, she must ensure that no one in the Sheng family is injured.
In the two months prior, while stockpiling supplies, Ling Shu and Butler Wang also constructed several underground shelters within the Sheng family manor. These shelters were well-ventilated, electrified, equipped with tables, beds, and even recreational facilities. Originally intended for the apocalypse, they were now proving useful.
The Sheng family doesn't have guns, but their drones and robot dogs are equipped with some anesthetic drugs and stun guns obtained through legitimate means, which they can use for self-defense if necessary.
At this critical moment, Butler Wang didn't mince words or spout empty platitudes like "We all swear to live and die with the Sheng family." He nodded and immediately headed outside to arrange the evacuation and refuge. Reaching the door, he stopped and turned to Ling Shu: "Miss Ling, you and President Sheng should also go and take refuge immediately."
One of the shelters is located on the third basement floor of Xiaoming Building; you can simply take the elevator down.
Ling Shu shook her head: "I don't need to go. Someone has to stay on the ground and keep watch."
She had several guns that she had seized from the Zhao family last time. As long as she had guns, Ling Shu believed that no one could hurt her.
However, Sheng Yun Shen had to go to the refuge.
She was about to say, "I'll arrange for a caregiver to take Yun Shen downstairs," when before she could even open her mouth, Sheng Yun Shen's calm voice suddenly echoed in her mind: "I'm not going to the basement; I'll stay with you."
Ling Shu stopped talking and gestured to Butler Wang not to worry and to go about his business.
After the housekeeper left in a hurry, she turned to look at Sheng Yun Shen on the bed, her tone disapproving: "Sheng Yun Shen, now is not the time to joke. Your safety is the most important thing."
Sheng Yunshen's tone was calm: "Ling Shu, with the methods you've set up, very few people can break through to the Xiaoming Tower. With you by my side, I won't get hurt."
He paused, then said, "Let Old Zhao in. I have a big gift for the Zhao family."
That was his real reason for staying.
Whenever Old Zhao comes to his side, he will naturally present him with a generous gift.
"A grand gift?"
Ling Shu raised an eyebrow with interest and almost instantly agreed to Sheng Yun Shen's decision.
She believed Sheng Yun Shen's words. The great gift he mentioned must indeed be a great gift, a great gift worth the risk of "giving".
"Okay, you stay here, I'll watch over you. Don't worry, with me here, you won't be in any danger."
-
A few minutes later, in the quiet of the night, a group of people silently approached the Sheng family manor.
Not far away, a helicopter hovered in the air, with Old Zhao sitting inside, his gaze fixed on the ground below. Through his earpiece, he heard hushed conversations from the people on the ground: "What's going on? Why is the Sheng family's place completely dark?"
"Did they sense the danger and evacuate in advance?"
Old Zhao had visited the Sheng family several times and could immediately recognize that the small building was the Xiaoming Building where Sheng Yunshen and Ling Shu lived.
Everywhere else the lights were off, but Xiaoming Building was brightly lit, a blatant provocation, a silent arrogance that said, "I knew you were coming, so I was waiting for you."
Old Zhao felt that he had been successfully provoked.
He clenched his fist and let out a cold snort from deep in his throat: "I don't believe they can escape so quickly. These little rats might be hiding in a corner. Proceed according to plan. Remember, quick and decisive. Leave no survivors for the key figures."
"Mr. Zhao..."
The mercenary in command of the ground forces hesitated. "This is China. If we really kill them, it will be a huge case that will cause a sensation. Are you sure you want to go this far?"
Old Zhao grinned menacingly: "Anyway, I'm already a murderer, and the best outcome for me is life imprisonment. Don't worry, the ship in Haicheng has been arranged. We'll retreat in twenty minutes, head to Haicheng overnight, and escape abroad."
These mercenaries were all recruited in his and the old butler's personal names. The rest of the Zhao family had no idea about them. Even if the police investigated, they would only find him.
Since he's going to run away anyway, it doesn't matter whether he carries one case or ten.
Since the boss had said so, the mercenaries stopped hesitating, lined up, and silently and quickly surrounded the Sheng family manor.
Each person held a weapon in their hand, and their bodies were filled with the bloody killing intent honed on the battlefield.
Old Zhao instructed the pilot: "Fly directly over Xiaoming Building, I need to get off."
Xiaominglou is located inside the Sheng family manor. If they wait for ground troops to break through, it will probably take some time. What they lack most right now is time. The nearest special police can arrive in just half an hour. There are not only him on the helicopter, but also several of the best mercenaries. Old Zhao hates Ling Shu to the core and has decided to take action himself.
"yes."
The pilot adjusted the helicopter's flight attitude and flew towards the only light in the darkness.
Soon, the helicopter hovered above Xiaoming Building. The left-side door opened, and the night wind rushed in, causing Old Zhao's clothes to flutter violently. Old Zhao put on his non-slip gloves with a stern face and followed behind several mercenaries, pulling on the rope to descend at a steady pace.
Considering landing safety, they chose to rappel down to the open space outside Xiaoming Building and break through from the first floor.
After everyone landed safely, Old Zhao instructed the pilot over the walkie-talkie: "Go, fly further away before crashing."
Helicopters are too large a target and are easily spotted by the police.
From the very beginning, Mr. Zhao had no intention of keeping the helicopter. He tried to create the illusion that he had escaped by hiding in the helicopter, thus drawing the police's main resources to track it down.
"yes."
The pilot's reply came through the headset. The helicopter continued to rise, flying into the distance.
Old Zhao turned around and looked at Xiao Minglou, weighing the gun he had brought down from the helicopter in his left hand. It was a carefully selected MP5 submachine gun, loaded with thirty rounds of ammunition, capable of riddling a person with bullets in just a few seconds.
Hopefully, Ling Shu will like the "gift" he brought. He shouldn't be so scared that she wets her pants and begs for mercy on her knees; that would be pointless.
Before the word "hand" could be finished, several screams and exclamations suddenly came through the earphones.
"My God, what is this?"
"Attack! We've been attacked!"
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